Circular Dichroism

Definition:

Circular dichroism (CD) is observed when optically active molecules absorb left and right hand circularly polarized light slightly differently. Linearly polarized light can be viewed as a superposition of two components of circularly polarized light of equal amplitude and phase but opposite handness. When this light passes through an optically active sample the two polarized components are absorbed differently. The difference in left and right handed absorbance A(l)- A(r) is the signal registered in CD spectra. This signal displays distinct features corresponding to different secondary structures present in peptides, proteins and nucleic acids. The analysis of CD spectra can therefore yield valuable information about the secondary structure of biological macromolecules and the interactions among molecules that influence their structure.

References:

[1]. Ontobee, Molecular Interactions Controlled Vocabulary, MI_0016, Circular Dichroism.

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